Man Saves Endangered Bird in Rwanda
2021-09-18
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1Even with an injured leg, a tall, grey crowned crane struts through a bird shelter in the Rwandan capital Kigali.
2The shelter -- called Umusambi Village -- has rescued more than 200 cranes from captivity.
3In just four years, the organization has helped to increase the population of these endangered birds from 487 to 881.
4Before this work began, local communities were hunting or capturing the birds to sell, said veterinarian Olivier Nsengimana.
5Nsengimana recently explained to the Reuters news agency why this was possibly happening.
6In Rwanda, the bird is often a symbol of high social status and wealth.
7So, they are often kept as pets in private homes or hotels.
8"Many people really love cranes.
9But some people wanted to have them in their gardens.
10So, there was huge demand for the illegal pet trade," Nsengimana added.
11In fact, six years ago, he said there more cranes living in captivity in hotels and homes than in the wild.
12Nsengimana added that poverty and a lack of awareness in the local communities led them to capture and sell the birds illegally.
13He said raising awareness of their endangered status is helping to protect the birds.
14Cranes are beautiful birds.
15The grey crowned crane is covered with grey and white feathers.
16Their heads are crowned by thin, yellow feathers.
17They have black and red features at the throat.
18For Nsengimana, his own love of the bird goes back to his childhood.
19He grew up in a village filled with grey crowned cranes.
20They not only woke up people in the morning, but they also provided entertainment.
21"People really enjoyed their dance ... their call. It (is) just one species that means a lot in the society ... in the culture," he said.
22Nsengimana founded the Umusambi village in 2015, and runs it together with the government.
23Umusambi means "grey crowned bird" in the Kinyarwanda language.
24Some of the rescued birds are brought to the village after being injured by illegal hunters.
25Others come from homes where their captors broke their legs or cut their wings to prevent them from flying away.
26At Umusambi Village, the cranes are able to heal.
27When they are healthy enough to survive in their natural environment, Nsengimana releases them in a protected forest.
28However, the cranes are still endangered by illegal hunting and by the destruction of their natural environment.
29This is happening not only in Rwanda, he said.
30Cranes are endangered in many other parts of the world, including North America.
31I'm Anna Matteo.
1Even with an injured leg, a tall, grey crowned crane struts through a bird shelter in the Rwandan capital Kigali. 2The shelter -- called Umusambi Village -- has rescued more than 200 cranes from captivity. In just four years, the organization has helped to increase the population of these endangered birds from 487 to 881. 3Before this work began, local communities were hunting or capturing the birds to sell, said veterinarian Olivier Nsengimana. 4Nsengimana recently explained to the Reuters news agency why this was possibly happening. In Rwanda, the bird is often a symbol of high social status and wealth. So, they are often kept as pets in private homes or hotels. 5"Many people really love cranes. But some people wanted to have them in their gardens. So, there was huge demand for the illegal pet trade," Nsengimana added. 6In fact, six years ago, he said there more cranes living in captivity in hotels and homes than in the wild. 7Nsengimana added that poverty and a lack of awareness in the local communities led them to capture and sell the birds illegally. He said raising awareness of their endangered status is helping to protect the birds. 8Cranes are beautiful birds. The grey crowned crane is covered with grey and white feathers. Their heads are crowned by thin, yellow feathers. They have black and red features at the throat. 9For Nsengimana, his own love of the bird goes back to his childhood. He grew up in a village filled with grey crowned cranes. They not only woke up people in the morning, but they also provided entertainment. 10"People really enjoyed their dance ... their call. It (is) just one species that means a lot in the society ... in the culture," he said. 11Nsengimana founded the Umusambi village in 2015, and runs it together with the government. Umusambi means "grey crowned bird" in the Kinyarwanda language. 12Some of the rescued birds are brought to the village after being injured by illegal hunters. Others come from homes where their captors broke their legs or cut their wings to prevent them from flying away. 13At Umusambi Village, the cranes are able to heal. When they are healthy enough to survive in their natural environment, Nsengimana releases them in a protected forest. 14However, the cranes are still endangered by illegal hunting and by the destruction of their natural environment. This is happening not only in Rwanda, he said. Cranes are endangered in many other parts of the world, including North America. 15I'm Anna Matteo. 16Cedric Karemangingo and Lisa Ntungicimpaye reported this story from Kigali, Rwanda for Reuters. Anna Matteo adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor for VOA. 17__________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19crown/crowned - v. to cover or be situated on the top of 20strut - v. to walk in a confident and proud way 21captivity - n. the state of being kept in a place (such as a prison or a cage) and not being able to leave or be free 22veterinarian - n. a person who is trained to give medical care and treatment to animals : an animal doctor 23status - n. position or rank of a person or thing 24pet - n. a tame animal kept as a companion rather than for work 25garden - n. an area of ground where plants (such as flowers or vegetables) are grown 26awareness - n. knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists 27feature - n. an interesting or important part, quality, ability, etc. 28species - n. a group of similar living things that ranks below the genus in scientific classification and is made up of individuals able to produce offspring with one another